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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. staff — employees
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. degree — from a university
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — thin
  7. ball — a great time
  8. cue — a signal
  9. degree — an amount
  10. lean — to bend
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. swing — music
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cue — for pool
  18. staff — a stick
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — in golf
  21. staff — employees
  22. degree — temperature
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com